Enrollment
538
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 080387006818 Charter school
Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy — Colorado Springs, CO
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 44
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: El Paso County Colorado School District 49 · Colorado
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.2:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+55% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.5%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy reports 538 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 26.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 55% above the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 65% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 60% below the Colorado average and 70% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding El Paso County Colorado School District 49 spends $11,710 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.9% from local sources (property taxes), 67.4% from the state, and 8.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Colorado state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26.2:1 | ▲ 55% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.5% | ▼ 60% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 538 | top 75% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
15.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 60% below the Colorado average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
26.2:1
students per teacher
— 55% above state mean
Top 96% in Colorado — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
22.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,710
per pupil, district-wide
— below Colorado avg of $20,949
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 538 Top 75% in Colorado — larger than 25% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 26.2:1 +55% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.5% -60% vs state
NCES ID 080387006818
Student demographics
White 48.0%
Hispanic or Latino 26.2%
Two or More 15.2%
African American 7.4%
Asian 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 48.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for El Paso County Colorado School District 49, which includes Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy.
$11,710
Per student
-44%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.9%
State 67.4%
Federal 8.8%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 6,693
- Students per teacher
- 31.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,697
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,473
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,426
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,172
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Colorado Springs
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
The Classical Academy Charter
Standard public school
1,909 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Rocky Mountain Classical Academy
Standard public school
1,162 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
The Vanguard School (Elementary)
Standard public school
949 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Chinook Trail Elementary School
Standard public school
632 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
New Summit Charter Academy
Standard public school
628 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Grand Peak Academy
Standard public school
608 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy
How many students attend Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy?
Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy has 538 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy is 26.2:1, which is 55% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 65% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy?
15.5% of students at Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy?
The largest demographic group at Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy is White at 48.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy?
Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.